The Daily Drift

The Daily Drift

Today's horoscope says:
What do you treasure most in your life?
Take time to mentally form your personal top ten list -- and then do what you need to ensure everything on that list stays in your life.
People may not realize how important they are to you, so it's up to you to make them understand.
Follow whatever method fits you best, whether it's a mushy email, flowery greeting card or hearty pat on the back.
Celebrate what you have in life -- and don't take anything for granted.

Some of our readers today have been in:

Gengenbach, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
London, England, United Kingdom
Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Cork, Cork, Ireland
Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Rome, Lazio, Italy
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Paris, Ile-De-France, France
Berne, Bern, Switzerland
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Segamat, Johor, Malaysia
Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal, Argentina
Alicante, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain
Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

as well as Slovakia, Malta, Bulgaria, Israel, Finland, Austria, Norway, Georgia, Mexico, Peru, Kuwait, Serbia, Bangladesh, Latvia, Greece, Scotland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Wales, Iran, Singapore, Poland, Taiwan, Sweden, Afghanistan, Belgium, Tibet, Croatia, Pakistan, Romania, Paraguay, Sudan, Vietnam, Argentina, Cambodia, Egypt, France, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Maldives, Qatar, Brazil, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Slovenia, China, Iraq, Ecuador, Nigeria, Colombia, Chile, Honduras, Paupa New Guinea, Moldova, Venezuela, Germany, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Ireland, Czech Republic, Vietnam, Norway, Finland

and in cities across the United States such as Roanoke, Herdon, Walkerton, Norfolk and more.

Today is:

Today is Wednesday, July 6, the 187th day of 2011.

There are 178 days left in the year.

Today's unusual holiday or celebration is:

There isn't one.

Don't forget to visit our sister blog!

Make Everything OK

 Make Everything OK.

Non Sequitur

Random Celebrity Photo

Culinary DeLites

Worst chain restaurant side dishes

Everyone knows to avoid fries with a burger, but one chain's baked potato is dangerous too.  

One side: 1,400 calories 

Also: 

• Eight worst appetizers
• What's in your hot dog?
• Wash fruits, vegetables

Boneless Bananas

From the "I give up!" Department:

Let the idiots run things - Oh, wait ... they already do, never mind.

Life Is ...

 

Somehow I don't think that's how it's supposed to be.

Best national park beaches

Exquisite beaches in U.S. national parks

The Colorado River beach in the Grand Canyon makes for an unforgettable summer destination.  

More top picks 

Also: 

• National Park Service
• Beach travel checklist
• N.Y. fort's artistic side

Reality Is ...

Ziggy

Anthony found not guilty

Anthony acquitted in daughter's death

A jury clears the Florida mother of murder in one the nation's most notorious cases.  

Guilty of lying 

Also: 

• More on Casey Anthony
• Trial in gay teen murder
• Complaint against DSK

What sealed the Casey Anthony verdict?

Defense attorney Jose Baez was criticized for his strategy, but the burden of proof wasn't on him.

Weaknesses 

Also: 

• Defense bashes cable
• Responses to verdict
• Kim Kardashian weighs in

Bad Cops

Illinois cop charged with stealing male enhancement pills

Former California police officer charged in Texas child porn case

Hawaii police officer charged in theft of firearm

Former Virginia police officer accused of sex crimes

Illinois correctional officer charged in bribery, tobacco smuggling scheme

California deputy formally charged in sex with minor case

Michigan sheriff's deputy charged with six felonies and five misdemeanors

New York cop arrested for sexually coercing woman at traffic stop

North Carolina cop arrested for prostitution

Three Georgia sheriff's officers charged with extortion

South Carolina corrections officer charged with 33 counts of fraud

D.A. says North Carolina deputy lied; charged in fatal crash

California deputy pleads not guilty to sex with minor

Fired Nebraska police officer charged in child porn case

Missouri police officer charged with involuntary manslaughter

Virginia police officers under investigation

Former South Carolina sheriff's deputy charged with assault, battery

Seventh D.C. police officer arrested in 5 months, charged with stealing thousands

16 D.C. police officers arrested so far this year

Fired South Carolina deputy sentenced to four years in prison for thefts

Colorado jail deputy arrested; police find loaded gun, steak knife in car

Florida deputy trainee arrested on grand theft charge

South Carolina deputy fired after video shows jailhouse attack on inmate

California jail officer must register as sex offender after conviction for assaults on inmates

Fired North Carolina deputy gets 42 months for embezzlement

California jail guard arrested after ripping his brother's pet snake in half

Massachusetts cop gets two years for viewing child pornography ondep't computers while on duty

Felony charge costs Indiana recruit police job

Crooked Texas cop gets 15 months in prison

Missouri cop convicted of shakedowns gets probation, house arrest

TSA officer arrested after items stolen from baggage found in raid

Off-duty California prison guard arrested after domestic dispute

Without China's Coal Burning The Hottest Decade On Record Would've Been Even Hotter

Powdered coal storage area at a Beijing power plant, photo: J W/Creative Commons

According to NASA data, the past decade was the hottest ten years on record, but it would have likely been even hotter if it weren't for air pollution from China's rapid expansion of coal burning. That's the take away from a new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences--the part about warming halting since 1998 is a red herring, as Climate Progress points out.

Article continues: Without China's Coal Burning The Hottest Decade On Record Would've Been Even Hotter

One Tin Soldier

The theme song from the film The Legend of Billy Jack sung by Coven.

Resurrecting The Swastika

Symbolic news: Raelians aim to reclaim swastika.

A religious sect that believes the swastika was hijacked by the Nazis will try to "remove the negativity attached to it" at the Gay Pride parade Sunday.
Members of the Quebec-based International Raelian Movement will staff an information booth at the annual event in the hopes of raising awareness of "the true meaning of the swastika, which is more positive," Diane Brisebois, a spokeswoman for the Raelians told QMI.
"For religions like Jainism and Buddhism, the swastika represented luck, well-being, harmony and peace," Brisebois said. "When people think of the swastika, they immediately think of the Nazis and we want to change that."

Good luck with that.

The Raelian symbol features a swastika intertwined with two overlapping triangles that form a six-pointed star.

The truth be told

Daily Funny

Another repugican Exploratory Committee Formed

This time, the exploring is being done by White Supremacist David Duke.

Add to the growing list of candidates considering a bid for the repugican presidential nomination in 2012 America’s most famous white-power advocate: David Duke.
A former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and repugican executive-committee chairman in his district until 2000, Duke has a significant following online. His videos go viral. This month, he’s launching a tour of 25 states to explore how much support he can garner for a potential presidential bid.
Former (and current) Neo Nazis, Ku Klux Klan members, and other representatives of the many wings of the “white nationalist” movement are starting to file paperwork and print campaign literature for offices large and small, pointing to rising unemployment, four years with an African-American president, and rampant illegal immigration as part of a growing mound of evidence that white people need to take a stand.

Tom The Dancing Bug

Missing woman's house foreclosed ...

... and the new owner discovers her body in garage.

Bank contractors, inspectors and even the new owner of a foreclosed home walked past the silver Chevrolet Nova in the garage numerous times before discovering the former homeowner -- dead on the front seat.

After the 57-year-old was found, possibly more than a year after her death, it took law enforcement officials months more to positively identify Kathryn Norris Kunzweiler's skeletal remains.

Now, after DNA testing on a strand of hair, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office has closed the case and ruled out foul play. Instead, the investigative report paints a picture of a lonely, disabled woman who hoarded furniture, boxes and paperwork and eventually became a victim of her own paranoia.

"During most of my investigations, I find myself learning that most neighbors don't know much about each other," said homicide agent Marlon Buggs, who led the investigation. "Society has changed and neighbors don't communicate like they did in the past.

"In this case, she was a solitary person who was unemployed, twice divorced and did not have any close friends or children."

Full Story

Woman Escorted off US Airways Flight after Snapping Photo

It doesn't take much for a passenger to be a security threat these days. Miami photographer Sandy DeWitt was reportedly escorted off a US Airways flight from Philadelphia International Airport on Friday after she used her iPhone to snap a photo of an employee's name tag, according to the photography website Pixiq.

Woman Escorted off US Airways Flight after Snapping Photo

Secret Service Investigates Faux News Twitter Hacking

ABC News' Mary Bruce Reports: The Secret Service is stepping in to investigate the recent hacking of Faux News' political twitter account after messages were posted claiming President Obama had been assassinated.

Full Story

***

Three Things:

1. This isn't news ... any 'threat' to the POTUS is going to be looked into by the Secret Service.
2. This was Faux News's account that was hacked (or said to have been hacked), but knowing the maniacal ideologue lunatics at Faux News - said hacking was likely an inside job.
3. This was supposed to show the incompetence and stupidity of Faux News? It did not serve it's purpose - they have no need of assistance to show how incompetent and stupid they are, they do a masterful job of it all by themselves.

BB Guns For Terrorists

You'll shoot your eye out: Al Qaeda Deploys BB Guns.

A wanted al Qaeda leader (Fazul Abdullah Mohammed) was recently killed in Somalia. Among the weapons found with him was a BB gun. Well, not just any BB gun, it was a Umarex Steel Storm. This weapon looks like a compact 9mm submachinegun, but is actually an automatic BB gun.
Weighing 1.25 kg (2.75 pounds), it is 38 cm (15 inches) long, with smooth bore barrel. The Steel Storm can fire single shots, or six BB bursts. The 4.5mm BB's come out barrel at 135 meters a second. That's about a third the velocity of the 9mm pistol round commonly found in submachineguns.
Only a lucky shot in the eye would be fatal, but these steel BBs cause a lot of pain, which makes it sort of a non-lethal weapon.

Only $82.95.

Tricks behind infomercials

Tricks of infomercial get-rich schemes

The prospect of a streamlined path to wealth is appealing but often too good to be true.  

Avoid the 'order now' trap 

Also: 

• Debit card secrets
• Tips for daily deal sites
• Building long-term wealth

Rupert Murdoch's UK paper hacks into missing girls phone

Hacking into the phones of politicians and celebrities is bad enough but a murdered girl?

What a bunch of sick people.

But the journalists at the News of the World then encountered a problem. Milly's voicemail box filled up and would accept no more messages. Apparently thirsty for more information from more voicemails, the paper intervened – and deleted the messages that had been left in the first few days after her disappearance. According to one source, this had a devastating effect: when her friends and family called again and discovered that her voicemail had been cleared, they concluded that this must have been done by Milly herself and, therefore, that she must still be alive. But she was not. The interference created false hope and extra agony for those who were misled by it.

The Dowler family then granted an exclusive interview to the News of the World in which they talked about their hope, quite unaware that it had been falsely kindled by the newspaper's own intervention. Sally Dowler told the paper: "If Milly walked through the door, I don't think we'd be able to speak. We'd just weep tears of joy and give her a great big hug."

The deletion of the messages also caused difficulties for the police by confusing the picture when they had few leads to pursue. It also potentially destroyed valuable evidence.

Shop owner tells blade thug 'either use the knife or piss off'

A brave convenience store owner in Devon scared off a knife-wielding robber by telling him "use the knife or piss off."

Brian Hammond, 68, was confronted by a hood-wearing man with a six-inch "butcher-style" knife who had entered his newsagents and demanded all the money from the till. Mr Hammond, who has run The News Shop in Fisher Street, Paignton, Devon, for the past 15 years, said he was not prepared to meekly hand over his hard-earned money.

"I came out of the store room and he was standing there with the knife. He demanded money from the till. I thought he was joking until he came around behind me and I knew he was serious," Mr Hammond said.

"I picked up a screwdriver, which was on the counter and told him 'either use your knife or piss off'. To my surprise, he did."

Fan Death

Big in South Korea: Fan Death.

Fan death is a widely held belief (and misconception) prevailing in South Korea that an electric fan left running overnight in a closed room can cause the death of those inside. Fans sold in Korea are equipped with a timer switch that turns them off after a set number of minutes, which users are frequently urged to set when going to sleep with a fan on.
The Korea Consumer Protection Board (KCPB), a South Korean government-funded public agency, issued a consumer safety alert in 2006 warning that "asphyxiation from electric fans and air conditioners" was among South Korea's five most common seasonal summer accidents or injuries, according to data they collected.

A new story from yesterday: Summer death revives fan death myth.

A South Korean man reportedly died on Monday morning after sleeping with an electric fan running. The 59 years-old victim, only known by his surname Min, was found dead with the fan fixed directly at him.

Afghan women news service

Afghan women speak out despite threats

Dire warnings haven't deterred female journalists from starting their own news services. 

Radio station torched 

Also: 

• Thailand's first female PM
• Suu Kyi tests Myanmar
• War strays U.S.-bound

Miss Brazil Got Robbed in Front of her Own Home!

 

Debora Lyra, Miss Brazil, was held at gunpoint in front of her own home in Sao Paulo authorities are reporting.

Full Story

Are traffic cameras unfair?

Why some say traffic cameras aren't fair

Cities too often use the systems as just another way to generate revenue, say critics.

Backlash gaining steam 

Also: 

• Court mulls GPS tracking
• Helmet law protester dies
• Car nears 3 million miles

Speedtrap

Sitting on the side of the highway waiting to catch speeding drivers, a State Police Officer sees a car puttering along at 22 MPH. He thinks to himself, this driver is just as dangerous as a speeder!” So he turns on his lights and pulls the driver over.
Approaching the car, he notices that there are five old ladies - two in the front seat and three in the back - eyes wide and white as ghosts. The driver, obviously confused, says to him, “Officer, I don’t understand, I was doing exactly the speed limit! What seems to be the problem?”
Ma’am,” the officer replies, “You weren’t speeding, but you should know that driving slower than the speed limit can also be a danger to other drivers.”
“Slower than the speed limit? No sir, I was doing the speed limit exactly … Twenty-Two miles an hour!” the old woman says a bit proudly.
The State Police officer, trying to contain a chuckle explains to her that “22” was the route number, not the speed limit.
A bit embarrassed, the woman grinned and thanked the officer for pointing out her error.
“But before I let you go, Ma’am, I have to ask… Is everyone in this car OK? These women seem awfully shaken and they haven’t muttered a single peep this whole time.” the officer asks.
“Oh, they’ll be all right in a minute, officer. We just got off Route 119.”

Did you know ...

 

Heroin is the brand name of morphine once marketed by 'Bayer'.

World's first 150-year-old already born?

World's first 150-year-old already born?

An expert on aging thinks doctors could have all the tools they need to "cure" getting old.

Hotly debated subject 

Also: 

• Autism risks studied
• Couch potato risks
• Phone cancer questioned

Space shuttle program's legacy

Space shuttle's complicated legacy

Atlantis's final launch marks the end of a program that was costly in more ways than one.

Spectacular success, failures 

Also: 

• Key dates in the program
• Doubt about the future
• The final mission

School found using bomb as bell

A mine awareness team in Uganda was horrified to find an unexploded bomb being used as a bell when they visited a school to teach children how to spot bombs, a local newspaper reported.

Full Story

Unmanned Glider May Hold Secret To Perpetual Flight

Engineers from the Australian Centre for Field Robotics in Sydney are working on an autopilot system for gliders that senses thermals and adjusts its course, utilizing the thermal currents to stay aloft. Couple that ability with the technique of dynamic soaring, where the glider flies between high and lower speed air currents to keep it aloft when thermals aren’t readily available, and perpetual flight might become a reality sooner than we ever could have imagined.

Full Story

Coldest places on Earth

Tracking the coldest places on Earth

North America's lowest temperature doesn't come close to the record spot.

How frigid it gets on other planets 

Also: 

• Coldest temps by state
• Blaming La Nada weather
• The forecast in your area

The Hórreo

The Singular Symbol Of Spain  

image credit

If you travel through north eastern Spain the chances are that you will see something like the structure in the picture above. Known as hórreo and often centuries old, these structures served a vital purpose for the local communities. Can you guess what they were for?

Campaign to save Texas fossilized dinosaur tracks

Some fossilized tracks housed in a small building outside the Texas Memorial Museum on the University of Texas campus tell the story of two beasts.

Full Story

B.C.

Rocky Raccoon

Monkey Takes Photos

We ran this story yesterday but here are some details and monkey took photos:

In Indonesia: Shutter-happy monkey turns photographer.

Photographer David Slater, 46, was visiting the park when he decided to try to get close to the animals. He teamed up with a local guide and over three days got to know the creatures. "I walked with them for about three days in a row," said Slater. "They befriended us and showed absolutely no aggression – they were just interested in the things I was carrying," he said.
"They aren't known for being particularly clever like chimps, just inquisitive. Despite probably never having any contact with humans before, they didn't seem to feel threatened by our presence."
Slater said the photoshoot that resulted in these pictures took place after he set up a camera on a tripod. He left the equipment for a few moments and when he returned one of the creatures was, well, monkeying around with it.

Proving everybody's a ham! Self portraits ...

Monkey's astonishing self-portraits

A man's idle camera becomes more than a toy for one enterprising animal.

Fascinated by reflection 

Also: 

• Simpson’s new dog
• Hilton pampers her pets
• Stars with odd animals

Bahamas Turns Nearly 250,000 Sq Miles Of Ocean Into Permanent Shark Sanctuary

Photo by WJ Harrison via Flickr CC

The Bahamas is the latest in a string of countries that are putting shark conservation at the top of the priority list. The Bahamas have converted 243,244 square miles of the country's waters into a shark sanctuary, prohibiting any commercial fishing of the animals.

Article continues: Bahamas Turns Nearly 250,000 Sq Miles Of Ocean Into Permanent Shark Sanctuary

Cascading Grizzly

Pictures of first grizzly spotted in the northern cascades in 50 years.

Animal Pictures